Temperate Rainforest Biogeochemistry and Ecophysiology

Temperate rainforests are poorly understood and highly valued ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest and other coastal landscapes around the world. This type of ecosystem supports complex interactions among constituents of the atmosphere, the forest, and the underlying geology. By focusing on the biogeochemistry and nutrient cycling of the forest, we will understand the interplay between the biotic and abiotic components of these ecosystems. We will examine the pools and fluxes of organic and inorganic nutrients as well as the processes that link them.

We will examine forest ecosystem science in temperate rainforests worldwide, and our lectures and field labs will emphasize the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula and Mount Rainier National Park, with a multiple-day field trip at the beginning of the quarter. Students will gain field experience with long-term studies. Students will acquire experience with various sampling techniques that are used measure nitrogen, water, and carbon in forested ecosystems in lab exercises in forest biogeochemistry that will span both quarters. In winter, students will deepen their understanding by gaining proficiency in laboratory techniques and instrumentation methods for measurement of carbon, nitrogen, and water flux. Weekly seminars will focus on reading a major biogeochemistry text and understanding scientific articles from the primary literature. Each student will develop a scientific research proposal throughout fall quarter, and a research methods review in winter. We will also visit forests to examine the impacts of anthropogenic influences on temperate rainforest ecosystems. Readings and guest lectures will introduce students to major ecological and biogeochemistry issues for temperate rainforests.